Beckham may not recover

ENGLAND: David Beckham could miss England's Group Six match with Poland tomorrow, writes Kevin McCarra.

Beckham suffered a rib injury in the 2-2 draw with Austria in Group Six on Saturday and while he took part in yesterday morning's training session in Vienna, he was unable to complete it.

The England captain received a scan before the squad flew to Poland and the FA medical staff will be monitoring his condition.

It is proof of the decline in Beckham's reputation that some observers would prefer to see his place go to young winger Shaun Wright-Phillips, even though he has not yet made a competitive appearance for his country.

The 29-year-old Real Madrid midfielder put in a humdrum display against the Austrians as England let slip a 2-0 lead which has put Sven-Goran Eriksson under pressure, but the England coach's backing for Beckham, in public at least, is unwavering. Eriksson argued that Beckham had done a "good job" on Saturday.

The England coach should have Steven Gerrard available. A groin strain had made him a doubt for the Austria match, in which he was to score and last 82 minutes. He was excused part of training yesterday as a precautionary measure.

Wayne Bridge has shaken off the knock to the Achilles tendon he received on Saturday, and given Nicky Butt's ongoing hamstring problems, Frank Lampard of Chelsea remains the only fully-fit first-choice midfielder.

NORTHERN IRELAND: Northern Ireland manager Lawrie Sanchez is expected to make defensive changes from Saturday's team that lost to Poland at Windsor Park for their game against Wales.

Central defenders Stephen Craigan and Mark Williams looked out of their depth against the Poles and may be dropped.

George McCartney is likely to be recalled after suspension and could link up with captain Aaron Hughes.

Mark Clyde is a contender for the right-back role, while Tony Capaldi seems certain to retain his place on the left.

WALES: Wales expect to have Ben Thatcher back in the side at the Millennium Stadium tomorrow, having joined up with the squad.

Thatcher missed Wales' 1-1 draw with Azerbaijan on Saturday with a hamstring problem and a throat infection. If Thatcher returns at left-back, Hughes may move Danny Gabbidon to the centre in place of Andy Melville or Robert Page.

Wales are unlikely to have Simon Davies again, after the Tottenham midfielder was sent back to his club for further treatment on a shin-splint problem last week.

SCOTLAND: Scotland manager Berti Vogts has yet to find out if Steven Pressley will be fit to face Slovenia in their opening Group Five qualifier.

The Hearts defender has been suffering from back spasms and had an MRI scan to assess the extent of the problem.

Andy Gray, Russell Anderson and David Marshall return to the squad after injury, but Richard Hughes is still unavailable.